


Did My Heart Love 'Til Now (Or, Bookworms Who Love Bookworms Are The Luckiest Bookworms)

by dollsome



Category: Gilmore Girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-16
Updated: 2011-08-16
Packaged: 2017-10-22 16:56:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/240304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollsome/pseuds/dollsome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A book sale, banter, and one of those rare moments where Jess Mariano seems like the world's actual greatest boyfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Did My Heart Love 'Til Now (Or, Bookworms Who Love Bookworms Are The Luckiest Bookworms)

**Author's Note:**

> A disclaimer: I totally stole one of Jess's lines from that greatest of all wordsmiths, Xander Harris.

Rory always gets giddy when the library book sale rolls around, but she's not sure she's ever enjoyed one quite this much. After two hours and fifteen minutes of guilt-free browsing, she and Jess head over to check out each carrying a pile so high that it would make Cheech and Chong feel pretty lame in comparison, if, you know, it was the same kind of high. Maybe an Empire State Building reference would have worked better. Anyway, they even get an awed "Whoa" from Morey, who lowers his sunglasses to look at them and their findings. Rory feels pretty proud.

She buys an old copy of _Romeo and Juliet_ when it catches her eye at the last minute because -- because it's sunny out and she has a new boyfriend she's crazy about and that's the kind of stuff that you get to do when you're young and happy and madly in like.

She forgets sometimes how much Jess isn't Dean. (Poor, dutiful Dean, who sat for longer than she wants to remember on the library steps waiting for her last time and tried so valiantly not to look bored.) But in a good way.

"Kids are stupid," Jess says as they walk back toward Luke's, his bag of books in his left hand and Rory's bag in his right. Little acts of one hundred percent unexpected chivalry sneak up on her sometimes, with him. "And then, 'cause humans are stupid, they make it into some big love story, when really, the moral of the whole thing is: people are dumbasses."

"When Paris and I did it," Rory acknowledges, her lips quirking at the memory, at the animation in his voice, "we _were_ pretty stupid. Or maybe that was just Paris's Romeo wig. No," she decides, "it was us."

"Man," Jess says, "I'm sure bummed I missed that." Rory sends a scrutinizing glance his way. "What??"

"I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic or not."

"Yeah, me either," he admits. He makes a little face. Makes her laugh.

"I don't know," Rory sighs, "if you aren't willing to die for me, I may have to rethink this relationship, mister."

"I might die _from_ you," Jess points out. "Especially if I have to keep lugging all your books around. Does that count?"

"Nope," she says brightly.

"Damn," he mock-mutters.

"Besides, half of those are yours, and _I'm_ not the one who went for the hardcover Ulysses."

"It was a _quarter_ ," Jess protests.

"I'm not complaining," Rory tells him, holding up her (unburdened-by-bags-o'-books) hands in defense. "I'm looking forward," she adds happily, "to when you try to put it in your back pocket so you can carry it around town with you."

"Ha ha, very funny," Jess says, in this tone that sounds grumpy but (Rory is beginning to find out) means _I think you're swell_ , in its own special Jess way.

"Back to the subject," she orders.

He nods, fake-obedient. "Yes ma'am."

"What's your Shakespeare of choice, then? It's Hamlet, isn't it? You broody boys have to stick together."

"I'm not _broody_ ," Jess retorts, offended.

Rory scrunches her face up, contemplating. "You're a little broody."

"Hey, _Dean's_ way more broody than I am."

"I dunno. Dean was pretty cheery for a way-more-broody-than-you guy."

"A Midsummer Night's Dream," Jess says defiantly.

"What?"

"You want Shakespearean dumbasses in love, that's leaps and bounds better than all that Romeo, Romeo crap."

" _You_ like A Midsummer Night's Dream," Rory tests.

"Sure."

"It has _fairies_."

"Yup."

"My boyfriend loves fairies," Rory declares, because it's not like she's going to pass up on that opportunity. ( _My boyfriend, my boyfriend._ )

"What fools these mortals be," Jess accuses, elbowing her lightly.

"Fairies, fairies, fairies," Rory sing-songs.

"You're kinda nuts," Jess declares.

"You're kinda sweet," Rory returns.

"I won't tell anyone if you won't," he proposes. Warmly, for him.

"Deal," she says, pulling the door to Luke's open and holding it, in the name of equal-opportunity chivalry. Jess gives her this quiet little smile as he slips past, his body brushing hers for a second, and it's not like she's going to _o happy dagger!_ it up anytime soon, but she kind of gets how Juliet felt. At least in the first few acts.


End file.
